Price tag



May 3,193 HN 2,116,477

- PRICE TAG Original Filed Oct. 20, 1934 M ATTORNEYS Patented May 3,1938 UNITED STATES 2,116,477 PATENT OFF-ICE PRICE TAG Frederick Kohnle,Dayton, Ohio, assignor to 1111c Monarch Marking System Company, Dayton,Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 20, 1934, Serial No.749,208

. Renewed November 9, 1937 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvementsin price tags and to a method ormanner of applying them The purpose of thepresent invention is to beable to use a different form of tag, i. e. a tag folded over the marginof the merchandise, and to insert the pin by driving it straight through.(or perpendicularly through) and only once through, the top and bottomsections of the tag while folded over the margin of the merchandise,instead of inserting the pin twice through the. tag and merchandise in adirection substantially parallel with the tag.

In other words, it is distinctive of the present invention that I drivethe pin at a right angle to the merchandise and tag sections instead ofin the conventional pin-like fashion disclosedin my former patent.

It is also the purpose of the present invention to be able to accomplishthe useful result shown in my former patent of concealing the sharp pinpoint, by insertion into or through the under-section of the tag.

The present tag when affixed, differs materially in appearance as W611as in structure, manner of applying and commercial usage, from theseveral forms disclosed in my said former patent.

The distinguishing characteristics of the present tag inherent both inthe novel structure and method herein disclosed, consists in employing atag with two sections which fold over top and bottom portions of amargin of the merchandise; the pin passes through these tag sections andthe merchandise only once, and perpendicularly; the shank portion of thepin (i. e. substantially full length of the pin) projected beyond thebottom section of the tag is bent at a sharp angle to that portion ofthe pin just adjacent the head, i. e. that minute portion of the pinwhich transfixes the two tag sections and the merchandise, thesubstantial length of the shank of the pin being bent into approximatelythe plane of the undersection of the tag, and, the very point, of thepin is positioned in guarded or sub-surface relation to this bottomsection of the tag.

It will be readily apparent from this description that in the presentinvention, unlike that dis- One form of the so-called pinclosed in mysaid former patent, the top surface only of the head of the pin isexposed on the face or reading surface of the tag, and no shank portionof the pin is exposed except on the undersurface of the bottom sectionof the tag. This has a two-fold advantage, namely, as only the headappears on the face of the tag this provides the maximum space forprinting price or other commercial data on the face of the tag, and,second, only a minute fraction of the shank portion of thepin adjacentthe head contacts the merchandise, thus very materially reducing thedanger of injuring the merchandise. The sharp pin point is effectuallyguarded in or by this lower section of the tag. l

I have found that this new idea is thoroughly practical, capable ofmachine actuated pinning and guarding steps, and that the commercialworld has urgent need of the fold-over type of tag, provided the pinpointcan be effectually guarded. The tag is securely affixed to themerchandise in a manner to protect the hands and the thread or fibers offragile fabrics. It is neat in appearance, and is easily removed bymerely tearing the tag. Neither the tag northe merchandise are bowed orbuckled in the pinning steps, and the shank of the pin is completelydisassociated from the fabric and from the face or reading section ofthe tag, inasmuch as it is held solely in and by the bottom section.Therefore,

the merchandise is not only thoroughly protected from injury but asmooth fiat tag is provided with only a minute portionof the length ofthe shank of the pin employed for tag securance.

Preferably, though not necessarily, to facilitate pin point penetrationinto the body of the underside of the tag for guarding, this undersection of the tag is formed with an aperture or slit or slot to providean opening disposed in the path of pin.

point movement.

Various other features and advantages of the invention are more fullyset forth in the description of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the tag, showing the upper or face leafthereof, clasped about a margin of merchandise.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-4, Figure 1. Figure 3 is a view similarto Figure 1, disclosing the underside of the tag.

Figure 4 is a plan View similar to Figure 3, ill us-- trating amodification of the tag. i

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3, in which the point end of thepin submerged below the tag is not bent to an angle as illustrated inFigure 3.

Figure 6 is a plan view similar to Figures 3 and C.

5, showing a modified form of slitting.

The tag, as shown in the drawing, is preferably of a fold-over typeandmay be manufactured or supplied in continuous strip or gang taglengths, the strip provided at definite spacing apart with notches orslots in alignment longitudinally of the strip disposed at anyconvenient location with respect to the longitudinal edges thereof, ormay be cut into one of the edges as topartially separate the tags and tocooperate with feeding devices of a machine for marking and applying. Inthis connection, the tag strip may conform to a tag strip as illustratedand described in Letters Patent issued to me December 5, 1922, No.1,438,044.

Referring to the drawing, the tag constitutes a pair of leaves orsections I, 2, joined to fold into parallelism for clasping over orabout a margin or edge of merchandise 3, the fold binding the edge ofthe merchandise and the leaves dis-.

posed at relatively opposite sides of the merchandise. One of theleaves, as leaf I, may be designated as an outer or upper leaf providinga face side upon which the price-marking data is printed, and thesecond, as leaf 22, designated as an under or lower leaf, engages overthe underside of the merchandise.

In my preferred structure, the underleaf 2 has a slit 4 as shown inFigures 1, 3 and 5, or a slot 5 as shown in Figure 4, cut therethroughpreferably between'or terminating at its opposite ends in apertures-6,6. The slit or slot may be variously located and .directioned. InFigures 1 to 5 inclusive, theslit is disposed centrally in a longitudinal direction of the tag, while in Figure 6 it is irregular in formand at an angle to the edges of the tag. The slit is slightly spacedfrom a selected location from which the pin emerges from the tag inpassing through tag leaves and merchandise, and preferably toward theforward free ends of the leaves so that a portion thereof when theprotruding end is. clinched, slightly overlies the tag as at 1 beforeentering into and through the slit.

In clinching the pin, the tag portions along the slit are separated,offsetting the adjoining edges to allow the pin to be easily pushedthrough the slit to bring the point end beneath the tag or between pliesthereof if the tag is of double-ply construction and thus engagesthrough the'terminal aperture of the slit providing a socket for the pinand a clearance which will allow the tag portions to spring back into aplane as soon as theseparating pressure is released. In submerging theforwardpoint end of the pin, it can be bent slightly at an angle, asshown in Figure 4, preventing it from ever being shifted into registrywith the slot or slit and thereby obviating any possibility. of becomingaccidentally dislodged. I

Providing apertures for the terminal of the slit or slot facilitates inseparating or spreading apart the portions of the tag thereadjoining forconvenience in pin entry, reduces liability in tearing the tag inseparating for pin entry and accommodates for a more free self-closingafter the pin is socketed through the aperture nearmostto the point ofits emergence through the tag.

The structure of the tag and the method of pinning lend themselvesadmirably for machine service. The tag is very securely fastened, withthe point of the pin thoroughly protected, making it impossible for itto prick the hands or for it to become engaged with adjacent articles.For removing, the tag is torn apart in a manner to release the pin whichthen can be easily pulled out, and as there is no occasion to burr thepoint in applying, it can be'withdrawn without catching or injuring theweave of the fabric.

As only the head of the pin is exposed from the face side of the tag, agreater space is available for marking for a given size of tag thanunder the prevailing methods of pinning. It provides for the employmentof a comparatively small length and gauge of pin which can be easily.clinched. The plane of the face portion of the tag is not disturbed inapplying and therefore will lie snugly against the merchandise, and bybeing bound along its outer or upper edge due to the fold and pinnedcentrally at an opposite edge it cannot flap as in the case where thetag is fastened only at or along one edge, or through the centralportion.

So far I have described the preferred structure of the tag, but it willbe apparent from the structure and the objects to be accomplished, thatthe method of manipulating the pin in relation to the'fold-over tag andmerchandise is of outstanding practical import. My method, therefore,comprises a series of steps related to one another to the end ofperforming the two-fold result of securance and pin point protection.

First, the two-section tag is folded over a margin of the merchandiseand while so held as a through or pricked into or against this under- Asection, so that, finally only the top surface of the pin is exposedupon the face of the tag; only a minute portion of the shank near thehead transfixes the unit, the shank and point of the pin beingdisassociated from the merchandise and the upper or face section of thetag, the point of the pin being non-exposed in relation to the top andbottom surfaces of the tag.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a piece of merchandise, a price tag constitutinga strip of material folded over a margin of the piece of merchandisethereby providing a pair of flaps, and a single shank pin. pointed andheaded respectively at its opposite ends, passing through the flaps andmerchandise and emerging from one side thereof, the emerging portion ofthe pin bent to extend parallel to the plane of a flap and toward thefolded end of the tag, and traversing through an aperture as a terminalof a slit cut through one of the flaps to extend the pin therebeneathfor sheathing the point, the slit permitting the pin to be passedtherethrough and self-closing to prevent dislodgment of the sheathedpointed end of the pin.

2. In combination with a piece of merchandise, a price tag constitutinga strip of material folded over a margin of the piece of merchandisethereby providing a pair of flaps, and a single shank pin, pointed andheaded respectively at its opposite ends, passing through the fiaps andmerchandise and emerging from one side thereof, the emerging portionofthe pin bent to extend parallel to the plane of a flap and toward thefolded end of the tag, and traversing through a slit cut through one ofthe flaps to extend the pin therebeneath for sheathing the point, andbent to an angle to prevent dislo-dgement through said slit.

FREDERICK KOHNLE.

